The invention relates to a slide closure for melting pots, the slide closure having: a bottom plate that is stationarily arranged within a bottom cartridge connected to the melting pot, having a slide plate which is linearly displaceable relative to the bottom plate and arranged within a slide cartridge, whereby the slide cartridge is movable within guides that are connected to the bottom cartridge, and having two clamping members symmetrically arranged with respect to the pour opening for generating a clamping pressure of the slide plate against the bottom plate.
A slide closure of the aforementioned kind is known from German patent 32 08 101. In the known closure the slide plate is inserted into a slide cartridge forming a support frame which, in turn, is a part of a separate slide carriage. The slide carriage is guided within guides connected to a housing of the melting pot and is displaceable relative to the stationary bottom cartridge. The clamping members for generating the clamping pressure between the bottom plate and the slide plate is integrated into the slide carriage.
With the known slide closure it is disadvantageous that the slide closure has a complicated construction with a comparatively high number of parts which, in addition to a correspondingly high expenditure for manufacturing the slide closure and storing replacement parts, has especially the disadvantage that the manipulation of the slide closure during exchange of the bottom and slide plates, which are made of refractory material and are to be considered wear parts, is very complicated. For example, in the known slide closure, after loosening the clamping members, the guides for the slide carriage must be removed from the housing of the melting pot, the housing partially dismantled and, subsequently, the entire carriage unit removed from the housing before the wear parts in the form of the bottom and the slide plates are accessible for replacement.
A further disadvantage is that due to the clamping members arranged within the carriage the pressing of the plates against one another for different positions of carriage and housing, respectively, of slide plate and bottom plate, is subject to changes. In order to provide a uniform real pressure between the plates, a complicated follower arrangement for the slide plate, respectively, for its support frame, relative to the slide carriage is provided in the known slide closure.
A similar slide closure is known from French document 2 308 448. In the known arrangement the slide plate is positioned within a slide support which is anchored to a carriage. The carriage is slidable in a frame that is fixedly connected to the melting port. The frame itself is pivotably connected to the melting pot. For generating the required pressure between the bottom plate and the slide plate, the frame is fastened with stationarily positioned screws to the melting pot. For this known embodiment of a slide closure the same disadvantages as mentioned before are present, i.e., complicated construction and non-uniform pressing forces at the plates during displacement of the slide plate relative to the bottom plate.
It is therefore an object of the invention to improve a slide closure of the aforementioned kind such that its manufacture and maintenance is simplified and that the replacement of slide and bottom plates is facilitated.